Closure elements which can be actuated by motor have gained widespread acceptance in contemporary motor vehicles. Such closure elements may be, for example, doors, such as side doors and rear doors, in particular sliding doors, flaps, in particular tailgates, boot lids, engine bonnets, luggage compartment spaces or the like of a motor vehicle. The term “closure element” is therefore to be understood in a broad sense here.
In the known method (DE 10 2010 055 297 A1) the triggering of the motor activation of the closure element on which the invention is based can be brought about in a particularly convenient way by a movement of the user's foot. For this, a control system having a controller and a sensor arrangement is provided which has two elongate, capacitive distance sensors. The sensor measured values of the two distance sensors are monitored by means of the controller to determine whether the user has carried out a predetermined foot movement. When such an operator control event is detected, the drive arrangement is actuated correspondingly, here the assigned tailgate or the like is opened or closed by motor.
The reliability of the operator control event monitoring operation constitutes a challenge with respect to the implementation of the known method. A reason for this is that the capacitive distance sensors which are used here are configured only to detect the distance from the user transversely with respect to the sensor extent. This can lead to a situation in which the user running past along the sensor extent, possibly accompanied by the user moving closer to the distance sensor, can incorrectly be detected as an operator control event. The controller has, of course, no information as to whether a movement of the user along the sensor extent occurs.
The position of the user along the sensor extent is referred to below as “longitudinal position”. This means that the user is located on any path which runs parallel to the sensor extent. In any longitudinal position, the user can assume any desired distance from the distance sensor. It should be noted at this point that the sensor extent is not necessarily a straight line. Instead, the sensor extent can be located on any desired paths, that is to say can also be curved.
The implementation of the known method also constitutes a challenge because contemporary motor vehicles can be equipped with a large number of attachment components, in particular with trailer couplings, bicycle racks or the like which disrupt the detection of operator control events by sensor. For example, an operator control event monitoring operation is virtually impossible with the known method if the user is located in a longitudinal position in which the trailer coupling has also been mounted.
The invention is based on the problem of configuring and developing the known method in such a way that the reliability of the operator control event monitoring operation is improved using said means.